California is preparing for a possibly historic El Nino this winter. Forecasts warn of heavy rain, floods, landslides and huge waves along the coast. As the weather pattern grows stronger, officials are getting ready for its possible impact on the state.
This is on top of the 8 to 12 inches of rise caused by climate change over the last century, said state climatologist Michael Anderson.
John O’Brien, a climate scientist at the Heising-Simons Foundation, said: “The odds of an average winter are very low. As per The Guardian, the effects of El Nino will add an extra foot of sea level rise in California.
When will it hit?
As per the SF Chronicle , the 2026-27 El Nino is close to record territory.
Emergency planners and researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography told ABC News that coastal communities like Malibu, Seal Beach, Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Del Mar could face high surf, beach erosion and unusual sea-level changes. California is getting ready for a possible historic El Nino. Scientists are now more sure that it will have a big effect on the state’s rain and snow. Some effects have already started. As per The Guardian , before this year the US National Weather Service had never issued a September coastal flood advisory for the San Francisco Bay Area. In the past month, it has issued two. Los Angeles and San Diego are expected to face a higher risk of extreme rainfall.
